The Paris Affair

by Muna Shehadi

Published 19 December 2024

Three priceless treasures. Three extraordinary women. Three powerful legacies.

The Paris Affair is the first in Muna Shehadi's powerful dual-time narrative series, with cross-generational appeal and captivating international settings perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley.


Paris, 1975: Shy Midwesterner Helen gets a once in a lifetime chance to travel to Paris for six-months after graduating college. Her then-boyfriend makes her promise to wear his ring, and to return home to the States to be his wife. She agrees. Yet in Paris her world opens up in a way she couldn't have imagined, as she moves in with two extraordinary women, Liliane and Connie. All of a sudden she's attending glamorous parties, mixing with intoxicating company, and falling head over heels in love with French photojournalist Giles - a man, she knows, she must ultimately leave behind. . .

Kansas, Present Day: The stories Teresa has heard stories of her grandmother Helen make her sound like a selfish monster. But when Helen breaks her hip, Teresa agrees to assist clearing out her sprawling Kansas farmhouse and is surprised to find her grandmother welcoming and warm. When Teresa stumbles across a hidden doll, momentos and photographs of a much younger Helen she's compelled to hear Helen's story and the memories that have until now, remained untold. . .